Letter to the Editor 4/8

To the Editor,

Brendan Sullivan’s article yesterday was full of glaring errors, and Pitt… To the Editor,

Brendan Sullivan’s article yesterday was full of glaring errors, and Pitt students deserve the corrections. Sullivan attempted to demonize the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, through a barrage of blatantly false statements. For example, his figure for settlement growth was literally 8,000 percent higher than the true amount, as evidenced by The Huffington Post.

Next, Sullivan claims Israel is an obstacle to peace. He couldn’t be more wrong. Israel consistently attempts to make peace, but the Palestinians have always declined. Peace initiatives were extended in 1937, 1947, 1967, 1979, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2009, and each time Arabs rejected these offers. Israel has given away over two-thirds of its land in an attempt at peace. Peace is not possible unless the Palestinians want it as much as the Israelis do.

Sullivan asks why the United States funds Israel’s military. Perhaps it’s because Israel’s military innovations greatly benefit us. That U.S. funding helped Israel develop the missile defense technology that the United States uses to protect Brendan and every other American while they sleep at night.

Finally, Sullivan tried to draw a parallel between the acts of the Israeli government and the Palestinians. There is simply no comparison. Last week, Israel transferred 1,183 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Israeli government, and in return yesterday Palestinian terrorists in Gaza bombarded Israel with 45 rockets aimed at civilian towns and fired an anti-tank missile at a school bus, critically injuring the passengers.

We demand more accurate and responsible journalism.

Micah Toll

School of Arts & Sciences

Campus Fellow, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America